Endpiece

In my last couple of days in Japan, I do occassionally see for myself what some might consider indicators of the less boast-worthy sides of the country. The younger sister of my friend Jun (Jun, despite having seen me only once since the second grade, went out of his way to provide me with many contacts and suggestions from his current location in DC) explains to me on a boat ride on the Sumida river how every university junior in Japan must conform to the same appearance once they begin searching for jobs--same attire, same died black hair, etc--and proceeds to point out these aspiring businessmen and women on the train later on. When I attend Akiko's performance at a cafe along with Tokyo's Macalester contingent, the models/aspiring singers that are also on the bill (and should without question stick to modeling) are fawned over by decidedly creepy old men that may have made up the largest segment of the crowd. And before the boxing match, I come across a spot in the sports complex where hundreds of guys are standing around just smoking and playing lottery--it looked as though they might have been doing so for hours. There was also the decadence of late-night Roppongi, where West Africans somehow have cornered the market of strip club doormen and aggressively pursue customers (especially white ones--I cannot seem to wrap my head around why) as they try to make their way down the street. By the way, if you ever try to attend a club in Tokyo that advertises a night of "Old-School Hip Hop," do not think that you will necessarily hear old-school hip hop. ___________________________________________________ But my overall impression of Japan is that it is a generally well-functioning and (at least in modern times) a peace-seeking society--one that is deeply suffering from the global recession but one where an inept prime minister from a political family tree may not create the chaos that he might in some other countries (i.e. mine), because the populous appears to function pretty well on its own. However, I should emphasize on both ends--and I'm probably stating the obvious--that my observations here are not exactly substantial or nuanced. After three weeks of fairly intense gathering of information and perspectives of Israel/Palestine, I have to say--only partially in retrospect--that my travels that followed were pretty intellectually lazy. Not to say that mindless travel doesn't have its occassional merits, but I'm admittedly iffy on whether it has always warranted free-flowing public observations, and if there was something I would have done differently, it would have been to maintain a much higher level of curiosity. To put a positive spin on this point, it's another justification to partake in the self-indulgence of independent travel again if the opportunity ever presents itself. ___________________________________________________ As for basic personal enjoyment, I can't complain much, and I close my trip on a good note. The boxing match on my last evening, whick I attend with Jun's friend Daisuke, is a total experience. The fighters are not especially impressive, aside from a couple promising young guys early on and one Panamanian on the co-main event who had god-awful luck--a no-decision due to an early incedental head-butt in a fight he was totally dominating (this is only interesting to me). The crowds, on the other hand, are great--not the same level of intensity as in the Mexican v. Boricuan fight I saw in Chicago with Pete E, but decked out in the freshest of costumes according to the fighter they are supporting and totally engaged. After the fight, Akiko meets up with me in Shibuya and we grab some tea--the obvious drink of choice on a Saturday night. If I may be allowed one last instance of supreme-extra-cheese in my first (and probably only) foray into blogging, I have to say that the way I closed out my trip felt right: not having it out with the Japanese nightlife or seeing an interesting new sight or doing anything especially different from home, but just having good conversation with a friend who I hadn't seen in a long while. Akiko gets me on the last train back to my hostel (barely), and after three hours of passing time, I set back out in the dark to catch the first train out to Narita Airport. I crash as soon as I get on the train, but wake up once for a few seconds and catch a last glimpse of Tokyo at sunrise.